Going Against the Flow
by Frost Fae
Summary: Kagome, once wellliked and very popular, is now ostracized from the rest of her school with the exception of her best friend, and her life becomes even more twisted when a new boy, already owning a reserved space in the popularity clique arrives. AU
1. Who?

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the other characters thought up by Rumiko Takahashi. In fact, I don't own anything worthwhile. THERE!

A/N: Here it is people! It's back on, revised, and hopefully much better than before! The first time I brought it out, I forgot to mention that this story is pretty much supposed to be **making fun **of high school life. So forgive me if something seems pretty incredulous.

On with the story!

"Blah" is speech.

'_Blah_' is a thought.

- is a paragraph break.

.:o:. blah .:o:. is a flashback.

Going Against the Flow

Chapter 1

Who?

"So who am I supposed to watch out for?" Kagome was sitting on the edge of the bed of her best friend-and, as they both knew, her only friend-Sango. Tilting her head to the side, she irritatedly waited for a response.

Although "Kagome, you are so hopeless..." was not the one she'd been looking for.

"Why do I have to watch out for any one at all?"

"Because... well... because you're not exactly the most liked person in the world. And this guy is, so you've got to watch what you say around him." She pursed her lips slightly, waiting for the volcano that was her friend to erupt.

"Okay, okay... so if I see a particularly regal-looking person I stay out of their way and act all calm and docile?"

"Yep, that's about right." Unfortunately for Sango, Kagome had been joking.

Kagome had had it with all of the precautions that she had to take... she went to high school! She shouldn't have to watch what she said, or be nice to people to keep up appearances. Or should she? Well, it didn't matter, because she didn't want to! It was as if she was some major-and yet frequently insulted-pop star with paparazzi following her everywhere she went. But instead of the paparazzi the whole school was buzzing with senseless newspaper editors who thought that they were all that.

"But it's not fair, Sango! I'm anything but a person who should get followed around everywhere... I have no sense of gossip and everyone hates me." She managed to keep a tear from leaking through her tightly closed eyelids.

"No they don't, Kagome." But Sango didn't look like she believed it herself, in fact, she seemed extremely tense, and yet again she prepared herself for an explosion.

Kagome sighed. "Come on, Sango, you can be honest with me. We're best friends, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah... forgive me if I wanted to spare your feelings!" She still looked sheepish however. "So I'm your only friend, it doesn't really matter, and you can have a fresh, clear slate when you get into university. Am I right?"

"I guess..." The tears that Kagome had been forcing to stay hidden behind her thick lashes trickled down the smooth skin of her face. "Why can't people just not notice me? Instead, they hate me _and_ they have to add insult to injury... Day after day."

"Oh, come on! You're exaggerating."

"You know I'm not..." Kagome managed to roll her eyes, although she wasn't feeling very in tune with her sarcastic side.

"If only you hadn't-"

"Shut. Up."

Kagome opened Sango's bedroom door and sprinted out and down the stairs, narrowly avoiding Sango's little brother Kohaku as she flung herself out of the front door. Rubbing at her eyes and face furiously, as if she were the victim of a swarm of mosquitoes, and managing to turn her slightly pink face into a mass of red, she ran to her own small shrine and flung the door tightly closed, soon falling back against it and slowly letting herself slide down to the floor, so that her back rested against it as she stared sadly at her clean parquet floor.

She could remember that fateful day as if it were yesterday...

.:o:.

_Kagome, the most popular ninth-grader, walked up the school steps, feeling brighter than usual. It was April Fools Day and she had planned the most wonderful prank ever (in her eyes). It was set in the girls' bathroom and was meant to duck who ever was in one of the stalls in a toilet._

'I have to admit that this is pretty ingenious!' she thought to herself. 'I wonder if it's possible that people could love me even more than they already do?'

_She winked at a group of boys that was passing by, delighting in their reddening cheeks and the incessant tug of their hands trying to loosen their preppy ties ('Hey, they're all members of a wannabe fraternity, so why not indulge them?') as their shirts suddenly got a little too tight. Smirking slightly she continued on to her destination, the girls' washroom. As if she would ever even think of setting foot in the boys' washroom. Her disgust at this 'chamber of doom' as she and Kikyo liked to call it, wasn't just full of life because of the ridiculously small bladder most boys seemed to have, no, it was also because it was rumoured to be completely filthy, with the stench that would raise the hairs of even Kagome's neck. And she wasn't afraid to get dirty either._

_As she came ever-closer to the door of the girls' washroom, Kagome sighed. She heard the chatter of little seventh-graders, who adored her, and whose hobbies seemed to include, above all, the stalking of both her and Kikyo. The former shuddered, and readied herself to bring on what she liked to call the 'older sister psyche'. Sure enough, when she alighted in the doorway, what seemed like tens of bright eyes immediately turned towards her, hungrily staring at her and drinking in her appearance. Kagome cleared her throat, it looked like she had interrupted some strange ritual. All of the seventh-graders sat with their legs splayed out in front of them on the dirty linoleum floor. All of them were holding glasses of some clear substance and papers with messily scrawled handwriting on them, and yet they managed to hold hands and bounce on the floor simultaneously. Needless to say, the popular girl was very disturbed and, although her excitement about the prank couldn't be quenched, found herself having to use all her willpower not to back slowly out of the door and pretend that she hadn't seen anything. _

_With their eyes never leaving her own, they listened very attentively to her stuttered words"Um... would it-would it be all right if... um... you could all leave? And... um... I could continue with my... uh... secret prank?" She paused, then carried on at a different angle. "If you could... um... hm... well, could you not tell anyone? You're the only people who know!" This was a bold-faced lie, and Kagome felt the tiniest pang of guilt, but she knew that it had to be done, otherwise she might have had to carry on with her plan with all of these frightening seventh-grade drones watching her with those huge, Bambi eyes._

_A sudden spark of excitement lit up all the faces in her band of followers, and again she felt a bit of guilty gnawing at her, 'But still', she thought, playing with the bangles that covered her wrists as the seventh-graders trooped out of the bathroom in one big clump, 'it's pretty worth it.'_

_Immediately she set to work on her prank as soon as her hangers-on finished filing out of the bathroom door, quite content and feeling an ever-growing confidence welling up inside her. Her prank was going to be a success, for better or for worse, but much mroe probably for better._

_But what she hadn't planned on was that her best friend Kikyo-equally as popular as she, and her accomplice in whatever 'cute' crimes she came up with-was in one of the stalls at the moment... setting up a prank of her own, thanks to the clever insights of Kagome. It was designed to flush a toilet when someone sat down on a seat._

Word had gotten to her that Kagome was 'planning' on setting up a prank of her own, so being the generous best friend that she was, she wanted to do it before Kagome embarrassed herself, so that she could both of their reputations, which, although not a very nice justification for attempting to steal the limelight of her own best friend, was a much more philanthropic light to Kikyo's prank than the facts. Kagome's setup was so cleverly concealed that Kikyo didn't notice it.

Of course when she set to work on her prank she was heavily dunked into the toilet that she had been reluctantly bent over. **And**, as an added bonus, she had triggered her own trick. Her beautiful, recently permed hair was twisted painfully about. Of course she knew it was Kagome's work. She gave a loud, horrible shriek and, secretly hating Kagome in the first place, decided to end Kagome's reign as one of the queens of popularity.

She drew herself out of the toilet that she had been dragged into, and she resigned herself to wringing out her clothes and putting on her back-up outfit and more makeup, although unfortunately for her all she could do was to angrily brush it, leaving it a mess. She wondered why she had even bothered to tamper with a disgusting toilet anyway, and haughtily stood to her full height.

Kagome never knew what hit her when people from the school newspaper swarmed around her with flashing cameras and declared her the most hated girl in the whole school. She fainted. Only to find a still hot-off-the-press bundle of newspapers being pushed at her face. The bold headlines stated: **TWO QUEENS BECOME ONE QUEEN AS THE PLIGHT OF KIKYO AND THE BETRAYAL OF KAGOME COME INTO FOCUS**. Needless to say, Kagome was devastated and from then on, whenever anyone looked upon her, reverence was replaced with disdain on their cold, scornful and sometimes altogether sneering faces.

_The girl was never the same again. Inside and out._

.:o:.

"Kagome, dinner's waiting!" That was definitely the voice of her mother. Gentle as usual, even in the midst of her nagging.

"Kagome, hurry up! I'm starving and mom won't let us eat without you!" And that one was undeniably Souta, her annoying but sometimes adorable little brother, rude as usual.

"Kagome, I'm going to have to agree with your brother Souta on this one!" Kagome ignored the third voice, grandpa, and continued in her task of getting out her small journal. She only used it to vent out her anger at the world around her. Ironically enough, she always felt this way, due to the imbecilic attitudes of everyone at her school, including the teachers, and most of the time exlcuding Sango, she she wrote in the plain, black journal consistently enough.

_Dear Diary, _

_The calls of mom, Souta and grandpa are starting to get on my nerves. I am _not _hungry, and them insisting that _they_are is very aggravating. Can't they see that my life is already over and that I shouldn't bother eating? It's September... school's tomorrow... and all Sango can worry about is me being nice to some stuck-up person whose first day of school happens to be at my crummy school? How can everyone think that the person's popular if they've only seen their picture? What is wrong with everyone? Since my little incident with that lousy excuse for a priestess-in-training everything's been going all screwy and warped! Doesn't anyone else notice this? Has the whole world gone insane? Or more importantly, have _I_ gone insane!  
_  
"**Kagome! Get your filthy butt down here!**" She looked up accordingly, scowling, and decided that she would have to teach him a lesson when she was feeling up to it.

"Souta, calm down and stop being rude to your sister. You have to respect your elders and others too." Kagome was pleased to hear the slight note of anger in her mother's voice and, feeling slightly more self-satisfied than she had just a few moments before, she began to rise from her bed, checking briefly in front of her mirror to make sure that her eyes were swollen and red no longer.

"Especially your elders!" Grandpa cut in strongly. At this, Kagome paused in her analysis of her slightly smudged face, and rolled her eyes. Ageism was her biggest pet peeve-next to sexism, racism, and most of the people that went to her school-expecially when it came from the mouth of her sometimes quite politically-incorrect grandpa.

"That's right!" And, oh no, her mom was in on it, too.

"This whole house wreaks of ageism, right Souta?" Kagome had just entered the kitchen, her face sour, while everyone else schooled their responses and focused on eating, having the sense not to comment on her expression.

"Uh huh." Souta said humourlessly, giving her one reproachful glance, "Finally, we can get back to business."

'_I wish I could get back to mine_,'Kagome thought unhappily as she sat down at the dining table.

A/N: La la la. What to say? I'm kind of happy with the outcome, at least it was a much better go at editing than the first. Please review, even if you faithfully reviewed to both my original version and my first try at major editing! Thanks to those of you that did! And I'm hoping that all of you guys will have a happy Valentine's Day, whether alone, with friends, or with that certain special someone! Once again, review please!


	2. First Meeting

Disclaimer: Go back to chapter 1.

A/N: And now onto chapter 2! This editing stuff is pretty easy; although I had a lot of mistakes... typing quickly is very bad for a lazy girl like me.

**:o:**

Going Against the Flow

Chapter 2

First Meeting

**:o:**

Kagome woke up with the beginnings of a head ache; her grey matter's muddled thoughts being punctuated by piercing rings.

She hurriedly slammed her alarm clock off and wiped her eyes blearily. She was still groggy at breakfast and barely gave the scrumptious French toast and frothy mug of cocoa before her any recognition. She sipped the cocoa and nibbled at the French toast quite apathetically for a while. Unfortunately for her, the delicious breakfast soon woke her up from her half-slumber, and her most treasured part of the day, when she first woke up and morning amnesia hit her at full blast, was terminated much earlier than usual. When she realized that she had to get up to walk to school sooner or later she grew mildly depressed.

'_Back to school, back to school... _always _back to school._'

By the time she was walking wearily up the stairs of the prestigious Midoriko High, named after some priestess from legend who had supposedly created a magic jewel and fought for seven days and nights with a myriad demons and who Kagome, in spite of her sometimes skeptical ways, aspired to be exactly alike-she was so swathed with lost dreams and bad memories, that she wasn't watching where she was going.

With her head down, she banged straight into something. She looked up to see nothing but blue denim. Slowly, she looked up. Now she could see a neck... now a chin... now a mouth... a nicely pronounced nose. And finally, two amber eyes flecked with gold. What startled her most was the pair of dog ears that sat atop the head, swiveling attentively-and also very cutely she couldn't help but note-and the long, swaying, white hair.

The boy practically threw her away from him and dusted himself off. Finally, he spoke. "This is what I get! The first day and someone is already abusing me! What is it? Do you think that just because I'm half-demon, I'm half-witted? Is it that I'm a dog demon at all? What's your problem!"

Kagome was speechless, but soon her temper got the better of her. Her nostrils flared and her cheeks reddened ruddily. The boy nervously cleared his throat and was visibly preparing for a long lecture. Kagome was starting to feel bad and, staring at his strange ears that were now flattening against his head, she decided to speak from a different approach.

"Look," she began gently, "I don't care if you're part demon or full demon... or foreign, as you don't seem to know what goes around here... If you're a nice guy, you're a nice guy, and nothing can change that. And anyway, we bumped into **each other**. It was an accident. Got that?"

Now it was the boy's turn to be speechless, but he nodded slightly and regained his composure. A smile slowly spread across his face and Kagome entertained fleeting glimpses of sunlight in her mind. She smiled just as deliberately and waited in a comfortable silence.

Then he broke it happily. "I'm Inuyasha. And you are?"

"I'm Kagome." She grinned again and thought that maybe she had found another friend that she could confide in. It was pretty pathetic how she was only able to claim one person as a good confidante.

"Okay... Kagome. So, would you care to show me around?"

"Sure." Now the hope for a new friend was turning into bright confidence, and Kagome was sure of the possibilty that maybe she could take herself back up to the top.

They were just about to enter the school together when Sango and-pretty suspiciously as, although Sango got a lot of proposals from boys asking for dates, she spurned them all and turned them down harshly-a tall boy with his hair tightly bound in a small ponytail at the base of his neck ran up the steps and went over to Kagome and Inuyasha, respectively.

They both looked flustered. In fact, that was a bit of an understatement, seeing as how Sango's face was a mottled red and the boy's knuckles were white with the angry pressure that he was subconsciously exerting on them. Both had the same expressions that screamed, 'I am bewildered and angered... just wait 'til I get my hands on you!' Something like that at least...

"Kagome! What were you thinking?"

Kagome smiled beatifically. "Um... Sango...? Can I have the pleasure of finding out" here her smile disappeared and she scowled, "what the **hell** you're talking about! I was just about to give—um... what was his name?—Inuyasha a tour of the school!"

On the other side of the steps, Inuyasha and the other boy were having an unsurprisingly similar conversation.

"Miroku, what are you talking about! I was just about to get a tour of the school with that girl over there... Kagome, I think her name was..."

Miroku shook his head at the same time that Sango stamped her foot angrily. It was frightening how in tune their anger was.

"It's the person that you're supposed to hate!" They both said this simultaneously, immediately shooting each other dirty looks. Inuyasha and Kagome just stared bemusedly at each other, wondering if it could be true.

"Why does Inuyasha hate Kagome, Miroku?" Sango said this calmly, but with a slightly metallic edge to her tone that Kagome recognized as anger, and it was her turn to await the incoming explosion with a grim countenance.

And the addressee asked in turn, "Why does Kagome hate Inuyasha?"

"He's popular, and due to that, a threat to her own friendships." She managed to ignore the _look_ that she received from somewhere in Kagome's direction. "He's pretty much her biggest enemy right now, so I think you guys should back off."

"Well, for Inuyasha, it's just 'cause scum like her is also a threat to _his _friendships, and maybe _you _guys should just back off before Inuyasha makes you." Inuyasha also sent him the _look_. He didn't want to be seen as some prick who went around enforcing his law by fighting all the time. Although... that was pretty much what he had done in his old school before he got expelled. Miroku swallowed nervously, and prepared himself for some heavy words from Inuyasha later.

Here Kagome came in. She could handle being called the 'most unpopular girl' or whatever... but not scum. "I am not scum. If I'm the scum of this school, then he must just be the scum between my toes!" Of course, by 'he', she meant Inuyasha.

"Me? Scum? You wish!"

Sango and Miroku were getting anxious; the usual stampede was beginning to make its way towards the large school steps... "Quiet! Both of you! You'll be seen together! Move away! Move away! Come on! Please, just forget about it for now and **move**!"

But Kagome and Inuyasha were so immersed in their spirited argument that they didn't realize that the 'school paparazzi' was heading for them until the cameras started flashing. And by the looks of it, the gossip was especially sweet, even better than the incident of '04, of the last year, when Kikyo and Kagome had had a go. For to the outsiders, it looked liked something much more sinister... it looked like they were warming to each other! The scandal was at a high... and the headlines were already in print... **Inuyasha and Kagome, Popular and Unpopular People, Join Together, Going Against the Flow of the School!**

Kikyo was fashionably late, as usual, since due to her prowess and her wealth she could neverbe penalized and, when she snapped her fingers for a copy of the _Underground_, she was not pleased at what she saw. A picture of her already claimed new boy and her ex-best friend—together. Maybe for the second time in her high school career (the first being during the incident of '04) she shrieked, but no one paid any heed. No one cared anymore; Kagome was in the spotlight for once... a negative spotlight, but a spotlight nonetheless.

She was being interviewed for the paper, and not just her either, Inuyasha was being interviewed, too. And they were glaring daggers at each other and at the people all around them... especially the paparazzi.

"So, how do you feel about each other?"

Inuyasha, while scowling: She's plain, old scum.

Kagome, a surprisingly deferential expression crowning her eyes: He's scum between my toes.

No one liked to think about this prospect, and just then, to their intense relief, Kikyo burst in with a hearty laugh.

"As if!" Everyone turned as one, "Your toes aren't even worthy of him!"

Inuyasha smirked; the not-so-pleasant facet of his personality was surfacing.

Kikyo noticed and continued with even more fervor, "You're scum! And you're not even graced with being scum between his toes! In fact, he doesn't even have scum between his toes! You do!" Some of the poeple in the crowd rolled their eyes at this. It was a somewhat lame insult, even from the sole queen of popularity. "However much it shames me to say so, I should know, seeing as you used to be my best friend. How worthless you were, and still are! You worthless piece of-"

Kagome had had enough. She stood and smacked Kikyo across her smooth, unblemished face. Then again, was any part of Kikyo blemished? (Kagome knew that her left elbow that she always kept covered was.) She was angry and frustrated. Inuyasha looked completely shocked, and Kagome was glad to see that the smirk was wiped from his face.

But he noticed her staring and put it back on. Kagome fumed silently but kept calm and collected on the outside.

'_Does he ever lose his cool?_'

But Inuyasha was thinking, 'I've got to stay out of her way! Her temper's pretty damn bad... But her looks aren't that bad... even when she _is_ pretty angry.' He laughed a bit at this and his sneer softened into a wan smile.

Sango shuffled her feet and Miroku rolled his eyes at her. They chortled at each other for a few moments before they realized that they were each the best friend of supposed mortal enemies.

Kikyo was bent over doubly and was wheezing, although this was surprising seeing as she had only been the victim of a clip on the cheek. Red welts 'graced' her face and countered her painfully-placed makeup. Her ears were as red as her face, and people couldn't help but wonder... what would she do now? Her eyes were pink with unshed tears and she was terrifyingly angry. She really wanted to use her priestess powers to tear the very fabrics of the world apart with her own dark and pure energy. Usually she was completely pure. She was cruel, but pure. But now she was mostly filled with darkness. She would've ripped everyone in the room to shreds, but then... she wouldn't be popular anymore... and also, Kagome's own power would be unleashed, and Kikyo definitely didn't want that. Kikyo wasn't even sure if she had as much power as she thought she did.

'_For all I know, the only thing I can do is grow a blade of grass._'She thought bitterly. She was fairly convulsing with bare anger, and her shivers of loose power were just thought of as shivers of contempt and ill-concealed annoyance.

Inuyasha and Kagome were the only ones that sensed it all. Inuyasha focused on the trembling Kikyo with a dawning light...

'I have to stay clear of her bad side... she has dark, dark miko powers.'

Kagome felt strangely oppressed by something, yet at the same time, light and airy. All she thought was that there was delight coursing through her veins at the plight of Kikyo. Her 'bloodlust' was satisfied, and her frustration satiated, and she felt at peace with the world. She felt strangely weak, but she didn't realize that that was because her own miko powers were starting to pool out of her pores. There had been too much dark energy in her.

Now, she was filled to the brim with light energy. And if the principal hadn't come in, she would've floated off of the ground.

"Higurashi!" He barked knowingly, "There always was a problem with you and Kikyo... Detention for you and..." he saw that Inuyasha had stood and was staring at both Kagome and Kikyo in awe. "And... Inuyasha."

"But-but-" he couldn't understand the unjustness of it all. Kagome and Kikyo got all miko-ish and he was blamed! For he had sensed it all... Kagome and Kikyo... they looked so alike yet at the moment Kagome was Yin and Kikyo was Yang—opposites. At the moment anyway... Before he had sensed goodness in Kikyo, and it had all drained away. But no, Kagome was slipping back to earth, and her head came out of the floating clouds. He knew that she had been close to flying and that Kikyo had been close to sinking into the earth... Her eyes were aflame with burning coal, and yet, they were being doused. She liked Kagome getting in trouble...

"No buts! I sense that you were part of this, too!"

'_And I sense, old man, that you're a crazy, well, old man who doesn't have any sense. Was that redundant?_'

Inuyasha was in a very irritable mood, and Kagome knew to stay out of his way.

So all the long walk down the corridor to the detention steps, Mr. Oriko wondered why the two accomplices were walking at opposite ends of the hall.

And so, they were left alone with only their thoughts in the _almost_ empty Detention Hall.

A voice from the back of the room spoke in a smooth and dangerously calm voice. "Inuyasha and Kagome. What a pleasant surprise!" Interestingly enough, the expression on his face seemed to suggest otherwise.

"And you are?" Inuyasha said gruffly, he knew bad news when he came across it...

"Naraku."

Then Kagome, with the hairs on the back of her neck raised, spoke with the soft Japanese lilt that came when she was nervous, "What an... interesting name..."

"Oh, you mean how its definition is 'hell'? Talk to my parents about it. On second thought, don't, they're dead."

He said this so eerily that Kagome wondered if he himself had killed them.

"And no, I did not kill them. They died in a fire." This brought an involuntary shudder from Kagome.

'It's like he was reading my mind or something...'

"And where were you when this happened?" Inuyasha's voice was raised slightly and he seemed to be speaking at a higher pitch than usual. If Kagome hadn't been feeling more tense than usual herself, she would have had a few laughs at his expense, but given the circumstances she managed easily enough to check herself.

'He probably started it, regardless of what he says.'

"I did not start it," but he didn't sound very remorseful, in fact, he sounded apathetic. "I was in it. And before you get any stupid notions of me simultaneously committing homicide and trying to commit suicide, I did not. I escaped the conflagration with first degree burns, and a part of me was left in that fire." Here he smiled secretively.

Certainly, Inuyasha could sense a dark presence somewhere deep in Naraku's otherwise soulless entity. But everyone had that, as far he knew.

Kagome didn't like the look of Naraku. He wore his hair down, like Inuyasha, only it was jet-black. He had all-black clothes and wore spiked rings on his army boots, wrists, shoulders, and one thick ring on his neck. He also had one ear completely covered in studded earrings; one of his eyebrows was pierced too, as well as his tongue, nose and upper lip. Where Inuyasha had cute, adorable doggy ears, Naraku had pointed ears. And where Inuyasha had too very long bang-sideburn-thingies, Naraku's hair just... hung. She had nothing against those people who decided to dress like this. Contrarily, she respected them for their individuality, but it seemed as if Naraku wore these kinds of things to intimidate others. If he did, it was working.

Kagome realized with a start that she was comparing the two! She shook her head wearily. What an awful day...

Kagome slumped in her chair and determinedly looked straight ahead, refusing to look at either of them. As a result she missed the glaring contests and the certain gestures that they kept shooting at one another.

By the time they finally got out of the detention room, Inuyasha and Naraku were unofficially sworn enemies and Inuyasha and Kagome were on no further speaking terms.

On their faces they showed nothing but relief... but inside, Kagome sighed.

'Another friend-to-be lost to the world of Kikyo... my former partner... I wish things could go back to how they were before!' she thought forlornly. 'At least I understand why everyone thought he would be popular when they saw his picture...' She blushed, but everyone took that as anger.

Inuyasha and Kagome walked at opposite ends of the hall once again, albeit parallel to one another. Kagome was just leading him around the corner, when Kikyo appeared. She wrapped her arm around his and sauntered along. Every once in a while she sent Kagome a piercing glare. Both Kagome and Inuyasha were uncomfortably aware of this, and in spite of himself, the latter wanted to get away from Kikyo. He fidgeted altogether too much for the girl on his arm's taste, and suddenly she let go. Needless to say, Kagome and Inuyasha were quite pleased. She stalked off.

Kagome smiled. 'Looks like that little problem is taken care of.' Little did she know that Kikyo was still continuing to watch them from a distance... she was planning something...

Inuyasha noticed Kagome's smile, and found that the feeling was mutual. Her good mood was just contagious. They were starting to become friendly again! Kikyo was not pleased. '_Can't they stay mad at each other for more than five minutes?_'

Kikyo waited until Kagome and Inuyasha had parted ways to strike. She immediately took off after Inuyasha, and she couldn't help but notice the poorly-hidden grimace that dominated his features.

"Inuyasha! I have something important to tell you—about Kagome."

Inuyasha's ears perked up involuntarily. "Yes?"

"Well... I heard her talking to her friend, Sango. And she was laughing about your ears. She said that of course you would have them: seeing as you're a stupid dog and everything." Kikyo feigned an apologetic expression. She hadn't taken those acting lessons for nothing it seemed.

"Why are you telling me this?" He wore a dark scowl and Kikyo knew that on the inside he was in turmoil. She couldn't help but give herself an internal pat on the back.

"I don't know... I guess I've just been drawn to you since you came. You're just—how can I put it—you're as magnetic to the populace as royalty. I can understand if you're not used to such praise from stranger but... I just couldn't help myself." 

Inuyasha, as Kikyo had guessed, liked compliments. She'd struck gold.

'_I guess she's not so bad after all... Kagome on the other hand..._'

"Thanks for telling me." He gave her one of his award-winning smiles.

'_Score 1 for Kikyo, score negative 500 for Kagome!_"

"You're welcome. I've got to go, but... I'll see you around later?" She flashed him a sheepish yet hopeful grin.

"Yeah, of course. See you!" He smiled in return and began to wonder why he had thought he should stay away from her in the first place, it was easy to see why she was so popular.

"See you!" She gave him what seemed to him to be a hesitant kiss on the cheek and immediately took flight, excited to see her plan going so well. She didn't turn aruond fast enough to miss the blush beginning to cover his face. She smiled.

**:o:**

"Kagome... I swear that he actually said that..." Kikyo was now standing in front of a hurt Kagome, scuffing a shoe on the ground. At that moment she was the picturesque view of a sad and sympathetic friend, and Kagome couldn't help but fall for her ruse, just like she had all those years when they had supposedly been 'best friends forever'.

"He said that I really am scum and that I'm probably lower-class and, um, that my type lives in ditches?" By now Kagome's eyes were round and full, and if Kikyo had actually been her friend, her heart would have reached out to the girl who looked like she was going to burst into tears.

"I'm afraid so, yeah..."

"Complete with the whole mocking my voice and walk?"

"Yes." Kikyo attempted to look remorseful, and thankfully, for her anyway, it worked.

"But why are you telling me all this? Weren't you the one that made fun of me and who I just slapped?" Kagome shot the other girl a suspicious look.

"Well, yes..." Kikyo tried not to look too peeved. "But we used to be best friends, and I don't want to see you hurt by Inuyasha."

'_I can't believe it... she actually sounds sincere!_'

"Well, thanks. I've got to get back home, but I guess we'll meet up later sometime?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Kagome raised an eyebrow at this sudden kindness but decided not to make any further comment on it. She was relatively happy for once and she didn't want to ruin things.

Kikyo waited for Kagome to leave; then she rubbed her hands together...

'_The plan worked perfectly. Kagome will never stop me from getting to Inuyasha ever again. In fact, I'll get the pleasure of seeing Inuyasha make fun of her!_'

Inuyasha and Kagome were now _official _enemies.

**:o:**

A/N: Remember, this is all satire, so my description of Naraku as being some sort of—goth?—wasn't really true to my own views. I don't think that goths/punks are evil in any way... um... yeah, so I hope you enjoyed that little editing job! Please read and review, I need to stock up on more!


	3. The Malevolent Results

Disclaimer: Go back to chapter one if you please.

A/N: Here's the third edited chapter! Enjoy!

.

Going Against the Flow

Chapter 3

The Malevolent Results

.

As Kagome awoke, her morning amnesia hit her fully and she actually managed to smile tiredly as she stretched and yawned. And then she remembered everything. Including the awful betrayal of Inuyasha. Plus, she had had to hear the words escaping through the mouth of Kikyo, no less.

Kagome got up resignedly and proceeded to go to the bathroom, before Souta slammed the door in her face. With a sigh, she made her way to her mom's private bathroom and had to listen to the frequent complaints issued from the room next to it.

"Kagome, you have to hurry! I'm going to be late for work!"

She rolled her eyes irritatedly. "Coming, mom..."

When she finished her early toiletries and managed to slip into her fuku and tie, she sat down in a chair and quickly took a few bites of her bread and marmalade.

"Kagome, since you're not drinking your-"

Without looking at him she brushed him off with a "Sure, Souta. You can have it." And with that said, she jumped the steps of the shrine and scrambled onto her bike. She had a feeling that today wasn't going to be any better than the others that she had experienced before.

Kagome was just running up the flight of stairs to get to her first class, math, when she bumped into none other than Miroku.

"Good evening, Miss Kagome. I have a very serious question for you."

Making sure that her reluctance to talk to him was quite clear, she replied stingily, "Yes?"

He clasped her fingers in his and then leant toward her, "Kagome, will you bear my child?"

Kagome stood very still for a few moments, she was quite shocked. "What!"

Hastily, Miroku amended, "Nothing, nothing. I was just joking. I was on my way back to my locker to get my forgotten math book..." Then as he was passing, he brushed his hands somewhat lower down her back then she would have liked. She stood even more rigidly than before. An interesting tick appeared in one of her eyes, alarming Miroku enough for him to offer to call the school nurse on her behalf. A vein began to pulse in her temple.

She was just about to beat the living daylights out of him when two things happened simultaneously. The bell rung-and Sango got to him first.

The hallway shook with the sounds of due punishment as Miroku finally sank against a wall, smiling dazedly with stars both in his eyes and rotating around his head.

Sango and Kagome trotted happily away to math class, and Miroku was just starting to revive (with his head still pounding from all that abuse). "Now that's my kind of woman!" He mumbled under his breath. It was pretty obvious who he was talking about.

Inuyasha stopped dead when he came across the fallen Miroku. "What happened to you?"

"Someone was affected negatively by my ministrations."

"Oh! That's a surprise!"

Miroku missed the heavily placed note of sarcasm and reinforced the comment with a shocked, "I know!" With a moment's pause, he added almost inaudibly, "I'll win you yet, Sango."

"But why would you want her? What about the 'me and Kagome' thing? Aren't you and Sango supposed to be enemies too?" He was starting to sense that something slightly unfair was in the air and he frowned subtly.

"Well, I was thinking about that and, well, I've decided that I can fraternize with the enemy and her charming best friend. That's vice versa for the lovely Sango."

"Idiot!" Inuyasha felt the urge to slug his best friend around the head but checked himself when he noticed the steadily rising bump on his head. '_Maybe later once he can actually think properly. I mean really, who'd want a girl who can kick a strong guy's butt? Not even Miroku can like that much spunk... Maybe she's a witch and she's cast a spell on him?_'

"Well, I'm _sorry_!"

Inuyasha only graced him with a preoccupied 'Keh' and a snort, he was still contemplating the possibility of Sango being some sort of love doctor/witch person.

Everyone in the class (including the teacher) looked up to see Inuyasha and Miroku coming into the room. Inuyasha walked in, fashionably late, and was allowed to saunter into the room with pride, as was Miroku.

Kagome gnashed her teeth together as she remembered how everyone had glared at her, just daring her to complain, when Miroku had made her late. She and Sango were excused of course when they told the teacher about talking to Miroku, but all eyes were still glowering as Kagome had slumped into her seat.

Kagome fumbled for her pencil, someone had taken it. She felt a pair of eyes on her back and knew instantly that Yumi had been the one. Kagome stared at her until she was forced to look away from her powerful gaze. But when Kagome turned, she found that someone was still watching her. She turned expectantly, planning on exacting revenge on Yumi later, when she realized that instead of dull brown eyes looking at her, there were bright amber ones. Both she and Inuyasha looked away with a blush each. '_What is _wrong _with me? I can't be shy... I have no reason to be!_'

'_Why was I staring at her? There's something that draws me to her, some hidden force. She has good karma... _that must be it' Inuyasha shook his head frustratedly.

Kikyo watched from the other side of the room and frowned. Hadn't her scheme worked? What was going on? She'd have to wreak even more havoc!

Being careful not to break a nail, Kikyo rolled up a wad of tissue paper and aimed it at Kagome's head. This was going to be sweet! Kikyo licked her lips in anticipation.

But out of the corner of her eye, Kagome saw this, and she knew her ex-best friend well. Getting ready for what was to come, she quickly dropped her textbook on the ground and bent down, just as the makeshift ball flew towards her. Unfortunately (for the 'yang' of the two girls), Kikyo was two desks to the left of Kagome (an empty desk positioned to her right), and Inuyasha was two desks to the right; and as Kagome went down, Sango who sat to the immediate right of Kagome, sensing something, bent down also.

Inuyasha was facing the other direction. And although he had a heard a faint whistle in the air, he had ignored it. By the time he actually recognized the sound as suspicious, the scrunched up ball had already hit him squarely on one of his hyper-sensitive ears.

Kikyo saw Inuyasha whip around in a flash. _That_ plan had gone wrong. Inuyasha was shooting daggers at her; his eyes two fiery orbs of anger. His fangs hung over his bottom lip cutely, yet Kikyo shuddered to think how she had overlooked how sharp they were. Her eyes drifted down involuntarily to his claws.

Momentarily, she held her breath, '_Oh, am I in for it now..._'

Immediately she blamed her predicament on, firstly, Kagome, and secondly, Sango. She would make them pay!

'_But first I've got to deal with Inuyasha... Who knew he had such a bad temper? I'll have to soften the blow somehow._'

Kikyo took out her makeup mirror—she was planning on making him notice how pretty she was. But one glance at his sour face made Kikyo decide to change her plan. She looked at Kagome; she was staring back with almost spiteful glee.

'_That's it!_'

She waited until after class to execute her new idea.

As she stepped out of the room and into the bustling hallway, she felt someone grab her arm.

"What's the big deal?" Just as she had surmised it would be, it was the half-demon in question, and he looked more than a little annoyed...

"Inuyasha?" She tried for the innocent look, but she knew at once that this approach to her problem wasn't going to be successful.

"Don't "Inuyasha" me! I know that you're the one who threw the ball of tissue at me."

"No, I don't think you do." She said this so calmly and in such a way that Inuyasha was beginning to doubt himself. "For you see... I saw the flash of the tissue as it was thrown toward you, although it was too fast and I was too stricken with shock to warn you of the 'danger'... I'm pretty sure that it came from the direction of Kagome."

"Do you have any proof?"

'_Why am I defending Kagome? I shouldn't need proof... Kikyo's word is good enough for me! But I know it's not..._'

"Well, no... But, I'm pretty sure-" she had to stop however, because Inuyasha had already turned heel and was chatting away with Miroku. She scowled darkly and everyone avoided her, which served to make her bad mood even worse. She felt very unpopular that day and couldn't understand why Inuyasha and Kagome weren't separated yet.

Well, if two of her plans had failed, the third time was always the charm, and she still hadn't exacted her revenge on Sango and Kagome. Public humiliation was her specialty.

Yes... it was right up her alley...

**:o:**

Sango leaned back against her locker impatiently, wondering where Kagome could possibly be. She suspiciously looked around her; people were starting to gather around her locker area. This didn't look good.

Finally, Kagome made her appearance, and she looked tired but pretty happy for once.

"So, Sango, what are we doing again?"

"We're going to the library to study in peace; the study hall is chaotic right about now. Everyone's admiring Inuyasha's... _smooth_... _biceps_..." She knew it was mean of her, but she just couldn't resist toying with Kagome's emotions. It was a best friend's job!

"What...?" Kagome's eyes were starting to glaze over, but her moment of paradise was squelched by a small glimpse of Kikyo's calculating stare out of the corner of her eye. All of a sudden, the prospect of triggering a prank came to her mind, but she tried her best to get back to her primary feelings of happiness.

"Ignorance is bliss I suppose, isn't it?" Both friends turned as Kikyo spoke. She had the edge to her voice that suggested something mildly frightening.

"Okay, what are you planning?" When Kikyo took her 'sweet' time, Sango continued, "And hurry up, would you? We kind of need to get somewhere."

"Nothing, nothing... just continue on with your boring lives." She rolled her eyes and everyone laughed.

Kagome and Sango opened their lockers simultaneously and a torrent of balloons filled with a murky brown liquid erupted on them. Slips of paper that were kept in the balloons fell out and said, 'I am **LOSER**, here me **ROAR**!' And, judging by Kagome's scream, the liquid wasn't exactly too pleasant to taste or smell. Evidently, her mouth hadn't been closed sufficiently.

"Ugh! What is this!"

"Oh, that? Well, by my guess, it's mud..." Kagome noticed that there was one balloon that had fell more gently then the others. She grasped it in one sopping wet sleeve and walked up to Kikyo.

She brought it down heavily on Kikyo's head. Her hair was now sopping wet, and thick mud ran from it down her face, down her shirt, and all of over her outfit. "Well, it's a good thing the boots that you're wearing today are brown, 'cause the mud matches them perfectly" She shared a smirk with Sango, and the crowd around them to compress their lips firmly together and clench their jaws to keep from laughing out loud. Kikyo shook with fury and wounded pride when she saw, out of the corner of her eye, one ninth-grader fail to suppress a snicker.

After exacting her revenge with dignity, Kagome looked around, daring anyone to laugh any further or make any negative comments. It was very effective. Satisfied with her work, Kagome resolved not to let it bother her; at least she had gotten Kikyo in trouble with Inuyasha by ducking.

But Sango was a different story, she was spluttering with rage. Kagome had no idea what to do... but it seemed that it couldn't be helped; Sango would just deal with it herself. In the meantime, Kagome was waiting for payback time. She was waiting expectantly for the moment when Inuyasha confronted Kikyo and beat the crap out of her-or at the very least 'chewed her out'. So she just salvaged as many things as she could from her locker and left the mess for the caretakers. Hey, it was their job!

After washing her hands and face and cleaning out her mouth in the bathroom-daring some pretty familiar looking eighth-graders who were sitting on the ground in a circle with glasses of some clear liquid and strange papers to say anything as they watched her-she chewed a couple of tic tacs and jumped into her jacket. If no one knew that she was wearing nothing but underclothes underneath she'd be safe, right?

_Wrong_.

Kagome was walking down the halls when she met up with a rather agitated-looking Sango.

"What's up, Sango?"

"Inuyasha's after you... and he doesn't look very happy."

"Um, so"

"He's pretty scary when mad... but don't get me wrong. I'm not worried about myself 'cause I could beat him up any day. Could you"

"I'll take care of him." She said more confidently then she felt. He _was_ a dog demon after all. "But why is he after me? I didn't do anything to him."

"Kikyo."

That was all she needed to say, Kagome understood perfectly. She was royally screwed.

"But can't you stay with me" She stared at her best friend with pleading eyes.

"Sorry... I had to, um, change into my coat and... well"

"I get it. I'm in the same situation. Let me guess... Miroku"

"Uh huh. Don't even get me started on that perverted low-life" But a faint blush was tinting her cheeks and Kagome was surprised.

'She likes the pervert?'

"Uh... Sango... do you like him"

"I guess-I mean! I... **no**"

"_Sure_." She shook her head contemptuously, even if she did feel a bit of frisson sometimes for the boorish Inuyasha, it was better than liking an obviously perverted player. "Whatever you say..."

"Oh stop it! I'm leaving" Then she added softly"Good luck with Inuyasha."

"'Kay. See 'ya" She still couldn't help but stare curiously at her best friend.

"Kagome, stop looking at me like that. I'm serious, you know I'd never lie to you. I don't like him." Kagome nodded, if she insisted, she'd believe her. At least for now. "Bye"

Just as Sango was leaving, another person stepped into Kagome's view, and this one wasn't nearly as welcome. "Inuyasha"

Inuyasha flinched at hearing this slightly nervous inquiry, but she deserved what was coming to her. Whatever was coming to her. "Don't even call me by my name! I'm just a dog to you... don't even speak to me. I only came here to tell you that if you throw another thing at me I won't hesitate to hurt you. I hate everything about you."

"I never called you a dog! But now it's obvious that you are one! You are such a hypocrite, Mister I-Like-Talking-Behind-Kagome's-Back."

"And what if I do" Kagome bunched her hands into trembling fists.

She didn't even bother to reply to this. All she did was step forward and smack him across the face. She was fed up, and she had just started sprinting away when Inuyasha—being the demon he was—caught up in a flash.

"Let go" Inuyasha missed the slight note of panic in her tone.

"No" And so saying, he tugged harder on the sleeve of her jacket. Realizing the consequences that were going to come of his actions, Kagome tried in vain to hold the buttons of her jacket together. Finally, they came apart and Inuyasha let go immediately.

They both blushed and froze, Inuyasha was staring at Kagome's face nervously... and then his gaze slipped.

Kagome felt no hesitation in what she was about to do. She went for the two places she knew would hurt incredibly. First she reached for his ears and yanked them hard, then she boxed them and twisted them. The second place was somewhere where the sun doesn't shine... Before he could react to what he knew she was about to do, Kagome concentrated all of her power (both in relation to her prowess as a priestess and her physical strength) in one leg, and kicked. Hard.

"**PERVERT! WHAT IS _WRONG _WITH YOU!**"

By the time it was all over, Inuyasha was squirming on the ground in a fetal position with his ears twitching painfully and his hands clutched around his one sensitive place. With stars in his eyes, he whimpered, and Kagome walked away as if nothing had happened.

But one steaming Kikyo was watching from behind a corner.

'_Time for a new plan..._'

All Inuyasha could think of was midnight-black hair and eyes the colour of mocha.

And Kagome... well, let's just say that silvery-white hair and golden eyes weren't far from her mind.

A/N: Hm... I liked my editing job for this chapter. This chapter might even be my favourite one so far. There was something I was going to apologize for concerning this chapter, but I forget. So if you notice something terribly wrong, think of it already apologized for. Did you like that? The next chapter will be called: Leaders and Wannabes. And what will happen? Maybe, just maybe, Kagome will be becoming more popular? Or maybe not? It all depends on what I feel like editing out. Please review!


	4. Leaders and Wannabes

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Inuyasha. Although I wish I do!

A/N: If you like my works of fiction, visit fictionpress and search up the author frostfae.

**:o:**

Going Against the Flow

Chapter 4

Leaders and Wannabes

**:o:**

As Kagome snuggled into her thick duvet with a book, she couldn't help but think of Inuyasha. Why, in the middle of ranting at her, had he been so... so... For lack of a better word Kagome on settled on perverse. Her brow furrowed in confusion.

Did he like her? Or was that just his personality?

Even as she happily propped open a novel by Meg Cabot, she kept on wondering about the inner Inuyasha, and whether he was deeper than he seemed on the outside. She just hoped that he wouldn't grow shallow by hanging around Kikyo.

She determinedly put her book back on its shelf; she wouldn't be able to concentrate on it until her thoughts were more calm. As she continued to ponder the strangeness of Inuyasha's recent behaviour, she brushed a tendril of hair from her shoulders and thought '_My hair's so unruly lately, maybe I should actually start caring for it regularly again?_'. And now she had a new resolution... she was going to make sure that Kikyo didn't prevail and that people started to like her once more. The only way to make sure of that was to: a) dress nicely and refrain from wearing the comfortable, yet unfashionable sweatpants and sweatshirts that she had slowly declined into the pattern of wearing after she stopped caring about her appearance; b) to be nicer to Inuyasha and c) her favourite choice, to make Kikyo look bad. And it was going to be a 'casual day' tomorrow, so she could strut her stuff immediately.

But, in spite of her misgivings, she would go with all of the plans.

In fact, she was going to enjoy this!

She had the clothes that she used to wear, and tomorrow... well, she was going to make a real show of it.

She couldn't wait.

**:o:**

Inuyasha couldn't stop thinking of Kagome, even in the midst of 'Second Breakfast', with delicious, hot ramen, and occasional chatter courtesy of his stupid brother Sesshoumaru, and his father, Inutaisho.

Why had he done what he did? Was it just the carnal instincts of the average testosterone-filled boy, or was it... _something more_? He shook his head to clear the thoughts that had been threatening to form.

"What's wrong with you lately, little brother? You seem to be caught up in something..." Inuyasha stifled a groan, he hoped his suspicions of what his brother was leading into were utterly wrong. "Felony, perhaps? Have you been partaking in theft? Or conning people out of their money? Or maybe you've been-" Inuyasha kicked him hard under the table.

Sesshoumaru didn't even flinch, deciding on a cold look filled with venom instead.

But their father outdid him when he glared with full-fledged malice at the both of them. "If you two don't stop fighting, I will take away your sparring sessions," he said with menace, still managing to ravenously devour the food on his plate.

"But!" Both brothers made a stab at backing up their own case.

"But nothing."

Inuyasha sighed angrily and continued to slurp up his spicy noodles. That calmed him down and, as an added bonus, irritated Sesshoumaru. Said older brother looked at him with disgust, but Inuyasha just promptly had a fake coughing fit and managed to spray him with bits of soup. Sesshoumaru just looked at him calmly, and Inuyasha knew something had gone amiss when the corners of his brother's lips began to curve upwards, showing a glimpse of sharp canines. "I knew it was girl trouble."

'_Aw crap!_' Their father was very enthusiastic about this subject... and not always in a good way if you chose the wrong girl.

"Who? What? When? Why? Where? **How**?" His head swiveled to and fro, his eyes beginning to turn into slits.

"Nothing! I swear! It's nothing!" Then he thought of a comeback. "And of course you'd know, _Fluffy_. I saw you with that girl... um... what was her name? **Rin**?"

Now his father turned an attentive eye on Sesshoumaru. "Fluffy? Who gave you that nickname, son? And who's Rin?"

Inuyasha got up from the table and left Sesshoumaru with an extremely rare, but still incredibly light blush on his cheeks. Served him right!

Tomorrow was another day, and another day to prove to himself that he did _not_ have a thing for Kagome.

Yes, tomorrow was going to be full of surprises.

**:o:**

Kikyo got out her diary, tears soaked it, and she wrote angrily.

_Dear Diary, _

_Today I have resolved to leave Kagome alone. At every turn, she's there waiting to pounce. I just don't feel that confident about myself anymore... Like seriously, how much can a girl like me take all at once? Pretty girls can endure everything except popularity problems. I wonder how Kagome survived? Wow, I can't compare myself to her! I can't be unpopular! I seriously won't allow it. Seriously though. I mean, so what? She never seems to get down, all is not lost! As long as I look better than her, everything will be okay! And since I want to look laidback, as if I don't care... then I'll—I'll dress... semi-well. It won't be **mediocre**... but just... **good enough**. There we go. Kagome won't be able to keep up! Now I'm happy again! Excuse the tears, please._

**:o:**

She was definitely satisfied... but Sango? She was angry. And it was all the fault of her Neanderthal classmates. Especially Kikyo. Well, not entirely exactly... Just mostly, as _she _liked to believe anyway. Come on! She couldn't be blamed for self-denial. Could she?

Miroku hadn't approached her! **At all**! What was wrong with that picture? She had even passed by him! Not-not on purpose... Of course not! Did she even want him to bother her? Oh, what was wrong with her?

But more importantly... what was wrong with her appearance? '_I look like a man!_' That was pretty much entirely false, and if she hadn't been so distraught, she would've seen this, seeing as, to her dismay, she _had _been asked out numerous times. Tomorrow she was going to be nicer than usual, on the inside, _and_ on the out. I mean, come on, there had to be something pretty repulsive about her if the biggest pervert/player didn't even give her one glance.

She grinned. _Now_ she was satisfied.

**:o:**

Kagome fumbled in her bureau for suitable clothes.

Finally, she picked out her outfit for the day.

A little makeup here, a little makeup there. Add to that designer clothes, and some much-needed haircare and you got a masterpiece.

She studied her reflection in the mirror... she looked... **hot**! And she was pleased to see that she looked just as good as Kikyo, if not exactly the same.

She was too excited to eat breakfast, although she popped a grape in her mouth as she was passing by the table.

And when she got to the front of the school, she was pretty late, and everyone was there. Kikyo looked like dirt compared to her usual appearance.

'_Well, I pretty much made her look bad without even trying! Success!_' The only thing left to do was to be nicer to Inuyasha.

Everyone turned as one when she stepped into closer range. They couldn't believe their eyes... she looked drop-dead gorgeous! Better than Kikyo, or even anyone else for that matter! When Kagome's gaze fell on Inuyasha, his mouth hung slightly open, and a blush was creeping onto his face. Every other boy wished to be him, and every other girl was jealous. Kagome, however, was pretty pleased with herself, and she made no effort to hide her self-satisfaction.

"Hey, Inuyasha."

"H-hey..." It looked like he was struggling with his words and, from personal experience, she knew that to be a good omen.

'_Mission accomplished._'

She grabbed his hand and beckoned to Sango and Miroku. They were looking at each other strangely and Kagome knew that a romance was blossoming... but the pair was so... so... unlikely.

Throughout the whole day, she kept on winking at boys and waving at girls, and hanging out with Inuyasha. And she knew now that the secret to being popular was to get people's attention, and then to talk to them. And flirt with boys... stuff like that. It was a snap. Oh, and there was that little thing called making people look bad, but the old-new Kagome wasn't going anywhere... although the old-old Kagome had certainly come back.

And people liked it.

Kagome knew that, although no one had said so, she was popular, or at least well-liked already. And Kikyo... well, she was a thing of the past.

But did Kikyo agree with that?

Certainly not.

And she was going to make sure that she would squash Kagome like the minuscule bug she was.

She had a plan. She would pretend to be her friend, steal Inuyasha, and then at the right moment take the main cavalry, Kagome, down.

And she would start right then and there.

Kikyo walked up to Kagome saying with a forcefully pleasant smile, "Hi."

Kagome didn't know how bad it was when she responded in kind... "Hey."

This was going to be the start of a not-so-beautiful friendship, and Kagome wouldn't know what hit her.

**:o:**

A/N: Okay, how was that? The next chapter will be called... Subtle Deception. So stay tuned, and the next chapter will probably be out in a week. Give or take a day or two (or year). Also, my chapters are really short now because this is a pretty old story and my writing style was more immature, and I can't really do much to increase the length of each current chapter without changing the story. Don't worry, I'll make up for it with the next chapters.. Bye all!


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